Songs Of Praise
27 Oct 2013 05:30 pmI spent all yesterday evening doing something completely new to me - I took part in the recording of a major BBC TV programme.
UK friends will realise, from the heading, which one. Songs of Praise is exactly what it's name would imply - a 40 minute long, weekly, programme focussing mainly on Christian song, shown on BBC1 on Sunday evenings for the past 52 years. It is recorded in churches, and sometimes other places, around the British Isles. And this week they were recording two episodes in our cathedral.
(And yes - we may only be a small island, but we have our own Anglican bishop and, therefore, a cathedral. It is small, not as big as some UK parish churches, and very simple, but it is a cathedral!)
Many of the congregation gathered from all corners of the island were gathered as 'choir' and had rehearsed for two or three hours earlier in the week - they filled all the middle of the cathedral. Those of us with 'congregation' tickets for just one of the two recordings were sat at the sides and in the transept (the 'short arm' of the cross shape.)
I was in the south transept, mainly behind one of the camera booms and near the machine that produces water vapour throughout - so I don't expect to figure largely when the programme is shown on December 1st, but it was fascinating.
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UK friends will realise, from the heading, which one. Songs of Praise is exactly what it's name would imply - a 40 minute long, weekly, programme focussing mainly on Christian song, shown on BBC1 on Sunday evenings for the past 52 years. It is recorded in churches, and sometimes other places, around the British Isles. And this week they were recording two episodes in our cathedral.
(And yes - we may only be a small island, but we have our own Anglican bishop and, therefore, a cathedral. It is small, not as big as some UK parish churches, and very simple, but it is a cathedral!)
Many of the congregation gathered from all corners of the island were gathered as 'choir' and had rehearsed for two or three hours earlier in the week - they filled all the middle of the cathedral. Those of us with 'congregation' tickets for just one of the two recordings were sat at the sides and in the transept (the 'short arm' of the cross shape.)
I was in the south transept, mainly behind one of the camera booms and near the machine that produces water vapour throughout - so I don't expect to figure largely when the programme is shown on December 1st, but it was fascinating.